Meet Sarah Noelke

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Noelke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am Sadisfied, and I am from Livonia, Michigan.

There are three huge principles I’ve learned over the years that have majorly impacted who I am today and the branding of my business. Every important value I’ve brought into my business is one that I learned from my Dad and how he raised me and my siblings.

My two older siblings and I were raised mainly by my Dad after my parents got divorced. My Dad didn’t make a lot of money, but he always managed to make sure we had everything we needed growing up. That being said, we only got new things twice a year – birthdays and Christmas. Because of this, I really acknowledged the importance of managing money and limiting frivolous spending while growing up. Since I came from an upbringing that didn’t have a lot of money, I always want to make sure that I sell my products at a price to where almost anyone can buy something. I don’t want to be an artist that forces someone to spend a huge sum of money. I want people to be able to buy art that they like at an affordable price. I think back to when I was a kid, and I want families to be able to make a purchase even if they don’t have a large disposable income.

Another major factor that plays into my business and my artwork is mental health. I struggle with depression and anxiety, just like my Dad. Growing up, we both never really acknowledged the struggles we went through. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that we finally began to have open communication about what we thought and experienced mentally. Having that connection and open conversation was a huge step in the right direction to help us combat our struggles. I want to be able to help others normalize the conversation around any mental health struggles they are having, as well as accept and promote a positive mentally around it. The best thing to do is to talk about mental health, and let everyone know that all emotions are valid. My name and characters are all based off the combination of the words sad and satisfied. I merged the words to form the name Sadisfied. All of my characters have a straight face expression to show the emotions that vary in between sad and satisfied.

Finally, people ask why I got into art or how I got started. My Dad was artistic, and that was definitely a huge influence on me. When I was growing up, I always got gifted new markers, notebooks, pens, and other art supplies for my birthday and Christmas. My favorite thing to do was to always draw cute cartoons. I just loved to create cute characters with fun phrases or ideas. When my Dad went to college, he was an undecided major. Between not having financial support, and not truly believing that anything could come from a creative career, he dropped out and got a full time job. My Dad wanted all of his kids to know that we could do whatever we wanted to, as long as we worked to make it happen. All three kids had his support to do what we wanted for a living. I was still skeptical that illustration was something I could turn into a full blown career, so I went to college for graphic design. After graduating from Wayne State with my bachelors, I managed to snag a job as an art director. A couple years later, with the help of my partner Nate, we started Sadisfied so I could still follow my dreams to illustrate for the world.

Starting my own business was definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but the easiest part of it all was knowing exactly who and what Sadisfied was right from the start. All of these values that I demonstrate are attributed to my Dad, who definitely shaped the concept of Sadisfied. I am so unbelievably grateful to my Dad and everything he gave all of his kids. Every single victory that Sadisfied has, big or small, is shared with my Dad first because it is as much his accomplishment as it is mine.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art and illustration is different than other artists because it doesn’t just serve as a cute anecdote. My art is part of a bigger narrative. I don’t create art just to create it, I strive to have purpose with everything I draw. I want to make sure that the theme of mental health is always at the core of what I create. I love that my illustrations bring people joy because it is cute, but also because it touches on subjects that other artists won’t. Mental health is something that should be discussed every single day, so that people continuously feel comfortable with who they are and what they think. I want my art to help normalize that.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First things first – If someone was visiting me for a week long trip, is it during football season? Because the Lions are finally killin’ it right now, so I feel like a Lions game would be mandatory if they were home.

I actually just discovered one of my favorite spots to eat and drink which is Bobcat Bonnie’s in Ferndale. Their drinks are amazing, and you can get an incredible vegetarian dish as well (spoiler alert, I’m a vegetarian).

I could sit here and list shops all day that you should visit around Detroit, so I’ll name a few: Signal Return, City Bird, The Post, The Rustbelt Market, and Jodi Lynn’s Emporium of Doodles. I could go on for days, but I’m sure you all have other things to do.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The most obvious shoutout I can give is my Dad. He is the heart and soul of everything I do. Without him, Sadisfied would not exist. He has given me all of the tools, resources, and mental capacity I need to establish my own business.

The next shoutout I have to give goes to my partner, Nate. I always wanted to start my own business, but never had the confidence to actually get started. He encouraged me to actually start the business, ensuring me he would be there every step of the way to help. Between the skills I learned from my Dad and the confidence that Nate gave me, Sadisfied finally came to be. I am grateful every single day for the time and effort that they have put into the business. Without either of them, I wouldn’t have any of the successes I have today.

The final shout out would be to Emily Meagher, an illustrator from Pittsburgh, PA. I’ve been following her work for years now, and her illustration style and business accomplishments are a huge inspiration for me. I like to use the phrase, “when I grow up…” and she is definitely someone I want to be when I grow up.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/iamsadisfied

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsadisfied/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahnoelke/

Image Credits
Image Credits to Sadisfied